Hi Soldier!!
My questions are as follows: I will be joining the Army and want to know because of my age restriction, if I enroll before my “birthday” cut off date–can I still defer duty for a couple of months–and my age be considered the age I enrolled, or if my birthday comes before I report to basic, that will matter and I will need to process all over
2-I don’t believe my recruiter is being forthright, I am female and have a degree–how can I go about getting his statements in writing? Should this be done before MEPS? Is there a form?
3-The recruiter has mentioned no bonus system to me–I’ve had to research to find out I ‘qualify’ for the HIGrad program (up to 8K for 4 year college graduates–is there anything else I need to look into?
4. (2 part question)-I lost my job perhaps a year ago and have bills I’d like to consolidate–does the Army have a debt consolidation program, and if so, since I’ve had problems with repayment of a Sallie Mae student loan {just learned its in DEFAULT status–no choice of my own just the economics of living off of unemployment}, does this forfeit any tuition repayment assistance?
Any help is absolutely appreciated! Perhaps, I should ask for another recruiter (please see all questions)?
Thank you!
*Will be entering as enlisted…what’s the max time I can defer after MEPS process?
What you should if do is if you know another female in the army or was in the army you need to take her with you to talk to the recruiter. Semper Fidelis ORAHH
1. I believe as long as you enlist before the age cut off you are fine.
2. What kind of statements? You have to deal with a MEPS counselor to get things in your contract.
3. Bonuses come and go that is another issue with a MEPS counselor.
4. No the Army doesn’t have a debt consolidation program. You will have to list all your bills and if they are current or overdue up to 120+ days. If your credit is bad it may hamper your chances of getting a clearance. Not sure about the loan repayment program. This link may help.
Are you coming in has an officer or enlisted?
You can be in DEP for a year. It will be up to when your MOS school starts. Just found this you might have to ship before your bday.
Age waivers for non-prior service enlistments are very rare. The few I’ve seen approved involved those who started the enlistment process within the required age limits, but were unable to complete the process and ship to basic training before their birthday. In these cases, only a couple of months of age was waived.
I can only answer a few, The age will only matter at the time of enlistment. Typically, it is a few months wait to get shipped for training. As far as garauntee’s, Any concerns that you may have, bring it up to the MEPs counselor. If its not 100% of what you want, Don’t sign. Its your carreer, take charge of it before some one else does